Giants place franchise tag on Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams of the Giants reacts after his sack in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 29, 2019. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Giants did not trade two draft picks to the Jets last fall to acquire Leonard Williams for eight games. Even by the low standards some Giants fans have set for general manager Dave Gettleman and his decisions regarding the rebuilding of the roster, that would have been a ludicrous exchange.
No, the Giants traded those picks so that they could have Williams as one of their cornerstone defensive linemen for the second half of 2019 and for many seasons into the future as well. And while they have yet to reach a long-term contract that will fulfil that desire – and seem to remain very far away in negotiating miles to achieving it – they did buy themselves a little more time to get such a deal in place.
The team placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Williams on Monday, shortly before the noon deadline to make such declarations, virtually ensuring that the 25-year-old defensive tackle will not leave in free agency and return for at least the 2020 campaign. Williams can negotiate with other teams, but in using the tag the Giants have a right to match any offer or receive a first-round pick as compensation. No player who has been franchise tagged has ever been signed by another team.
The pricetag for the Giants isn’t cheap. The newly ratified CBA sets the guaranteed salary for a defensive tackle who has been franchise tagged at $16.126 million. While Williams won’t see any of that unless he signs his tender, the amount counts against the salary cap effective immediately. Had the Giants tagged Williams as a defensive end rather than a tackle, as he undoubtedly would have preferred, that contract would have been for $17.788 million.
The Giants, though, have a history of not using the tag as a one-year contract for players but as a bridge to long-term deals. They have not had a player sign a tender and play under it since 1993 when they applied it to Jumbo Elliott in the first year of its existence in the NFL. They have used it four other times: On Brandon Jacobs in 2009, Steve Weatherford in 2012, and Jason Pierre-Paul in 2015 and 2017. In three of those instances the player signed a long-term contract within a month of having the tag applied to him. The exception was Pierre-Paul in 2015, who was close to reaching a long-term deal that summer but injured his hand in a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July. He wound up signing a one-year contract with the team when he returned to play for them halfway through the season.
If the Giants can reach a lengthier agreement with Williams, it would likely reduce his hit on the 2020 salary cap substantially. They have until July 15 to forge such a contract before Williams can play only under the tag.
Williams, a former first-round pick by the Jets, is still only 25 years old. While his production in flashy categories has been lacking with just a half of a sack to his credit in all of 2019 with the two teams, the Giants liked his ability to play inside and the way he interacted with their other young defensive linemen, Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence.
The Giants sent two picks to the Jets to acquire Williams, a third-rounder in the upcoming draft and a conditional pick in 2021. That second pick will be either a fourth- or fifth-rounder depending on when Williams signs his tender and if he winds up signing a long-term contract that overrides the tag.
Gettleman acknowledged last month that if Williams signed with another team after the Giants spent two picks to acquire him for half a season, he’d get “killed.” Gettleman has also said during the offseason that he has spoken with Williams and said Williams expressed a desire to remain with the Giants.
On Monday, the Giants made sure he’ll be sticking around for at least a little while longer.
ROSAS TENDERED. The Giants have two restricted free agents this offseason, and while they would like both to return, they used a qualifying offer on just one. The team placed a second-round tender on kicker Aldrick Rosas, a Pro Bowler in 2018. When signed, that will pay Rosas just over $3.2 million in 2020. It does allow Rosas to negotiate with other teams before he signs his contract, but the Giants would have a chance to match any offers or receive a second-round draft pick for letting him go.
The other restricted free agent is center Jon Halapio, who is recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in Week 17. The Giants are not going to place any tender on him, but they are hopeful that he will recover in time to re-sign with them at some point before the 2020 season begins.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
